Guests:

Britt Carlson is here from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to talk to us about this year's Eco Experience at the MN State Fair! The Eco Experience is a one-of-a-kind event where you can learn about solar and wind energy, green building, local foods, alternative transportation, water quality and more!  Check out the new eco-foods on a stick this year as well as the net-zero energy home that is being built in the middle of the building.  The fair is not that far away, construction on this year's Eco Experience has already begun.  Check it out August 27th through Labor Day at the MN State Fair!

Theresa Andrys is here from Sunleaf Naturals to talk about her locally produced line of eco-friendly soaps, body balms, candles and diffusers. Sunleaf is dedicated to making fresh, plant-based products for the home. They challenge conventional home products with innovative forms and environmentally friendly ingredients that people love to use everyday. Available in store at Twin Cities Green and online (soon) at www.greengiftsonline.com.

Green Tips and Info:

Light Green Tip #981

Drive 55

Reducing your speed to 55 mph from 70 mph could increase your fuel efficiency by 23 percent.  As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.

Driving the speed limit also saves lives. Research by the U.S. Department of Transportation has shown that increasing speed limits leads to an increase in fatalities:

A recent [2005] study examined the impact of higher travel speeds on US rural interstates. Researchers found states that had increased their speed limits to 75 mph (120 km/h) experienced a 38 per cent increase in deaths per million vehicle miles than expected, compared to deaths in those states that did not change their speed limits.

DARK GREEN TIP #5,365: Have you ever driven across town for a business meeting that took less than 5 minutes? It happens all the time... gotta schedule a sit down with a few different parties, try to pick a location that is central, drive there, find parking, meet, probably over lunch or coffee, drive back, find parking at work... These are common scenarios and a waste of people's time and lives, not to mention impact on business productivity and profit. But they also have a huge environmental footprint.

In today's society, technology often moves faster than people adapt to it. Meetings, conferences and seminars are certainly one of these areas. But, the good news is, that the tools to help minimize the negative business and environmental impacts of remote meetings are already here and are very effective.

Most businesses can take advantage of technology to reduce meeting and conference travelling impact by holding them online. Video conferencing and online meeting services have come a long way in recent years.

The services and software now used include all sorts of neat features such as video, chat, private audio, screen and application sharing and whiteboards that everyone can interact with.

As long as you have a broadband connection, these services work very well and are quite easy to use.

Visit our website for more information on how you or your business can cut down on it's carbon output by utilizing online conferencing.

GoToMeeting: Host unlimited online meetings.

GoToWebinar: Host unlimited online meetings and deliver unlimited Webinars for up to 1,000 attendees at a time.